The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-04-23
CAPTURE OF TWO BAD MEN.
Hemmer and Fox, Noted as Desperate
Criminals, Caught by Federal officers.
Their Determined and Lively Resistance to
the Attempts of Photographer, Aided by
Several officers, to Get Their Pictures.

officers have been in search Of Michael Hemmer
and James Fox. It is reported that they confine
themselves to no one class OF crime Whatever
promised returns in highway robbery, burglary,
safe blowing and counterfeiting they did Their
appearance is against them in working plans that
required skill, in robbing banks except by brute
force and forgery, or it is probable sneak-thiev-
ing and false checks would be charged
against them. In manufacturing counterfet coin
and escaping from officers their adroitness has
been mostly manifested. But safe blowing aside
from spurious money, seems to have been the
crime to which they gave more attention, as it
is said twenty cases of the kind can be attributed
TO them, with evidence to secure conviction.
Fox is only twenty five years DID, but he has
served three terms in the penitentiary. Hem
mer. twenty eight years of age has never been
there, but he is on the way if the arresting ofh-
GERS can substantiate their case. Both men have
their homes in Louisville, where their parents
live. Hemmer's father has considerable means
in money, real estate and a profitable
business in the markets of that
city. Fox does the planning but he is sury
fellow, while Hemmer has strain of good nat
ure in him. with temper that exhausts itself
he has the advantage, while Fox will resort to
treachery to satisfy his revenge and make affairs
even. 1t is asserted that ne robbed his father,
and did it by putting the old man to torture until
he told where the money concealed. As
pastme in Louisville and other cities they would
knock over policemen. and in every attempt to
arrest them the officers counted on desperate
sistance, unless it could be effected by strategy
Three walks 40 w T,Ou l1e Dolicamap traced
Hemmer and Fox to the formers home They
went there to capture them. but Hemmer met
them at the door with double barreled shot
gun.
With the government officers the trouble has
been to obtain convicting evidence, they only
manufactured and sold counterfeit money at
wholesale The spurious coin put out in
small lots and in this dealing they had middle
men in Louisville, Cleveland, Columbus, O.,
Cincinnati and this city. The crime could be
traced to the middlemen and numerous parties
who passed the coin, but the secret service men
were after the principals.
Hemmer and Fox not like ordinary
criminals in their movements. They would
avoid passenger trains, ferries and crowds.
Freight trains generally carried them from point
to point. They would find empty box-car or
break into one loaded and travel as stowaways.
Their passing back and forth from Louisville to
New Albany Jacksonville always by
skiff. and in this they were assisted by confed-
crates.
Cleveland, but the officers captured large lot
of coin, molds, and other apparatus for the
manufacture of half-dollars. In February the
United States grand jury in that city returned
rant issued on this that Capt. NJ. G. Bauer Of
the Secret Service. carried in his pocket until
yesterday. He followed them from Cleveland to
this city, where it is charged they got rid of $50
counterfeit half dollars, thence to Cincinnati,
whore they put more of the coin into circulation.
and then 10 Columbus, O. In the latter city
they did not have time to make any deals as
they came in the morning and went out at night,
with Bauer not an hour behind them. Hemmer
and Fox then went to Louisville. and it was
then that the former drove the policemen away.
From Louisville they returned to this city three
weeks ago.
assisted by Capt T. B. Carter, of the same serv-
ice, and Marshal Hawkins and his deputies.
Hemmer and Fox, this trip, brought their
wives with them, and they rented a house. No.
129 Patterson street. Their location was readily
found by the government officers, but it was
| desired to make raid uncertainties For
| the past three days the house has been closely
| watched. Night before last, the marshal, depu-
| ties and secretservice officers were there, but
! rain prevented the spotter from ascertaining
| positively whether Hemmer and Fox were at
home. They were known to be there yesterday
| morning, and this information, sent to the mar
| shaps Office led the officers to at make the
! capture. It was about noon when they reached
/ the house, but. in the meantime, Fox
! became suspicious, and he and his partner
| spent some time in debating means to escape.
| They knew when the man on guard was sta
| toned in the coal shed, about a hundred feet
| away in an alley, running in the rear of No. 12e
| Patterson street Fox detected the signal for
| the officers to come on, and at once Garted from
| a rear door into an clubhouse, just as Captain
| Carter and Deputy Marshal Stein entered the
| rear gate. They saw him. and in q moment
knocked in the clubhouse door, when Carter,
springing in, caught Fox by the wrists before he
l hoA nhnro fn CT
Marshal Hawkins. Captain Bauer and Deputy
| Marshal Frank Miller went in rapidly at the
front door, and found Hemmer standing in the
| hall ready to dash into the street. AS quickly
as it takes to tell it Bauer had the handouts on
| his prisoner. Hemmer tried to escape through
excuses that would give him chance to run.
| LET me put on my coat, won't your he cried.
This coat don't set we'll Loosen my hands, SO
| can fix the sleeves" but the officers chary
| in giving him the opportunity he wanted
After this the prison submitted. and when
brought to the marsh S Office they would one
moment protest their innocence, at another
! threaten to the officers for false arrest and
| then laughingy talk about how they had fire.
/ quently discovered the officers on their tail
| and that yesterday. if they had only five min
utes more, there would have been a chase OF
somebody would have been hurt Nothing bu,
small amount of plaster paris was found in
the rooms.
During the afternoon Captain Bauer proposed
to have Fox and Hemmer photographed before
|
could not be done 1t had been tried, and nc
| man set of men could make him sit before a
| camera. Fox equally determined but said
| little However, they were taken to Koehler's
| gallery, in the When Block. Hemmer was IN
clasped from his partner, and then a scuff1e
| began. He tried his best to overcome Bauer q
large man with grip like wise, Marshal Haw
kins and Frank Miller. For FIVE minutes the
struggle went on. Hemmer, swearing and
threatening vengeance gave the officers all they
could manage, until they forced him into the
chair. when Bauer caught him by the hair and
throat, while the Marshal held one arm
and leg. and his deputy the other. Bul
Hemmer's struggles would bring his heels t.
the camera, with his head thrown back over the
chair. Bauer would give his hair pull, and
then the prisoner would throw himself forward
with his head nearly touching the floor. The
operator waited patiently. and when the pris
oner least expected something purportng L
be his negative secured. The plate lad il
it about half of Frank Miller, a Quarter o.
Marshal Hawkins, and Captain Bauer's hands
one at Hammers throat and the other in hi
hair. After it was over the prisoners goot
humor returned
While this going Fox sat sullenly OF
his guard. to knock down Captain Carter who
stood over him with cooked revolver in hi
| right hand, while the left rested on Fox's shout
der Come on Fox" said Carter. when the,
wero through with Hemmer. Fox got up, and
dashiug at the camera, gave it kick that sen